Tortilla press



June 26, 1 923. 1,459,976

Y A. c. GORE ET AL TORTILLA PRESS Filed May 17. 1921 Patented June 26,1923.

1 HT D ST PTET ALFRED 0. sons AND CHARLES Leona, or sen ANTONIO, exas.

TORTILLA PRESS.

Application filed May 17,1921. Serial No. 470,452.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ALFRED C.Gonn and CHARLES L. Gonn, citizens ofMexico, residing at San Antonio, in the county of Bexar and State ofTexas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in TortillaPresses, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in culinary articles and moreparticularly to a press for pressing aball of dough into a wafer formaking tortillas or corn wafers.

Other objects of the invention will appear upon the consideration of thefollowing detail description and accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1is a horizontal section of the device showing parts thereof in planview,

Figure 2 is a vertical cross section.

Referring to the drawing by numerals, the base plate 1 is mounted uponsuitable supporting legs 2 which are provided with openings wherebysuitable fastening members may be employed to secure the base to a standor table. A radial extension from the base 1 is provided with upstandinglugs 3 between which is mounted for pivotal movement, a supporting arm4. having a pivot member 5 which is engaged with the lugs 3 whereby thesupporting member is pivotally mounted. One end of the supporting memberis shaped to form a latch which is engagea-ble with a locking dog orpawl 7 pivotally mounted as indicated at 8 and having one end engaged bya spring 9 whereby the hook end 10 of the pawl will engage the latch 6while the opposite end 11 forms a finger press to be engaged forreleasing the pawl from the latch 6.

The supporting arm 4 extends from the pivoted portion and is equippedwith a cylindrical sleeve 12 having a hollow interior within which asupporting rod 13 is mounted. The interior of the sleeve is larger indiameter than the rod 13 and a coil spring 14 embraces the rod andengages the head 15 on the upper end of the rod, While the lower end ofthe spring engages a bushing 16 fixed in position in the lower open endof the sleeve as shown in Fig. 2. The rod projects through the lower endof the sleeve and is connected in a suitable manner to the pressureplate 17 which is substantially the same diameter as the plate 1 and isprovided with radial ribs for giving it additional strength.

The upper end of the sleeve 12 is provided with a pair of ears 18carrying a pivot pin '19 uponwhich an operating member 20 is mounted.This member consists of a handle 21 and a cam 22 through which the pivotpin 19 is extended, and the cam is disposed in a position to permit itsedge to engage the head 15 of the rod 13 and it will be noted that thecam is mounted eccentrically with respect to the pivot pin 19 so thatwhen the handle 21 is swung over the cam will engage the head 15 of therod and press the same downwardly, thus moving the pressure plate 17downwardly and into engagement with the base plate 1.

In operation, the latch member 6 will be released by lifting the fingermember 11 on the pawl 7 so that the supporting arm may be swungrearwardly to raise the pressure plate sufliciently above the base plateto permit a ball of dough to be placed upon the base plate whereupon thesupporting arm 1 will be swung to the position shown in Fig. 2 until themember 7 engages the latch 6 to hold the supporting arm in the positionshown, but by swinging the operating arm forwardly, the cam member 22will engage the top of the operating rod 13 and exert a downwardpressure thereon whereupon the pressure plate 17 will move toward thebase plate and the ball of dough will be pressed into a. thin waferwhich may be used for making tortillas or cornwafers.

. Minor changes may be made in the details of construction withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claimshereunto appended.

What is claimed is 1. An apparatus of the character described comprisinga base plate, a pressure plate, a supporting arm pivotally mounted abovethe base plate, means to swing the supporting arm, a sleeve carried bythe supporting arm and adapted to be disposed vertically above the saidbase plate or swung to a position above and to one side of the baseplate when the said supporting arm is swung on its pivot, latch means tomaintain the supporting arm in fixed position when the said sleeve isdisposed above the base plate, an operating arm pivotally mountedaloovethe sleeve and equipped with a cam member, means for connecting thesleeve with the said pressure plate, said means being adapted to beengaged by the said cam member whereby a pressure may be exerted on thepressure platewhen the said operatengagement With the said base pl'ate,means to "support the said *rod in a 'v'e'rtical position,

and latch means to engage the said supporting means whereby the saidsleeve-may be held in vertical position above the said pressure plate.

Intestim'on'y whereof, We have affixed our signatures in the presence oftwo Witnesses.

ALFRED C. GORE. CHAS. L. GORE. Witnesses WM. H, FISHER, ARTHUR SCHAEFER.

